La Gata, Episode 2: I Hear You’re Fucking My Husband

In the following excerpt, Cissie reveals how she first got involved in the drug business.

One day, Danny gave me a wad of cash and told me to take Anna out to lunch. He had some stuff to take care of. Still playing my part, I didn’t ask any questions and did what he asked, buying two $600 bottles of wine in the process, just for the two of us. A few hours later, drunk as we were, we drove back to Fort Lauderdale. I got home to the condo and nobody was around. I took a shower and went to make some coffee to sober up.

In the kitchen, I noticed a white powdery film all over the place. On the cupboards, the counter, the floor. I tasted it, and to my surprise, it wasn’t coke. It had no taste at all, actually. I thought, OK, another test maybe? So I cleaned it up. And when Danny got home, I decided to gently bring it up just to see how he reacted.

I told him, “Oh yeah, there was white powder everywhere when I got home. I tasted it. It wasn’t coke. I didn’t know what it was, so I cleaned it up. Was that OK?” And that’s when The Conversation took place. Danny told me right then and there. First, he explained that the powder I had tasted was mannitol, which is used to cut cocaine. It’s flavorless and safe. And then he told me, “Coke is a big part of my business. You know how I am in the import-export business? Well, one of the things I import is cocaine.”

He stopped and waited for me to respond, but I just smiled. So Danny asked, “Do you understand what I just said?” I said, “Yeah, I think I already knew that. I’ve seen drug dealers in movies.” Danny said, “You handled yourself really well. I’ve been testing you to see what you do.”

Now that he trusted me, he could tell me more about the business. He was relieved. Looking back, I think we both had anxiety about the big reveal. Neither of us wanted to blow it. But after that moment, he just ran his mouth. He told me everything. And he wanted me to work with him.

I started going to pick up money with Danny. I’d been with him on these runs before I knew about the drugs, but back then he’d leave me in the car. Now that I knew about the business, I had a job. Danny asked me to count the bundles of cash to see if it all added up. Ten thousand dollars in 100s per rubber band. Five together made $50,000. I was a quick study. He also started bringing me into the rooms where the deals happened. We’d go collect money together. Not to be a drug dealer roadie or anything, but it was exhilarating.

Sometimes it was just a little money, but other times we picked up big payments. Like when you’ve got $200,000 in cash, you need a whole duffel bag to hold it. Danny also started paying me. He’d come in and say, “OK, I made this much money today. Here’s your 10 percent,” and hand me a few thousand bucks. It was important to Danny that I had my own money. He didn’t want me to come to him for cash like I did at the beginning. “Papi, can I have some money to go shopping? Papi, can I have money to go to lunch with the girls?” More than anything, Danny wanted me to be happy, but he wanted me to be independent, too. Just not too independent. That wouldn’t come for a few more years. I’ll tell you about that later.